NORMAL DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES IN CHILDREN

BONDING AND ATTACHMENT IN INFANCY

The terms bonding and attachment describe the affective relationships between parents and infants. Bonding occurs shortly after birth and reflects the feelings of the parents toward the newborn (unidirectional).

Attachment involves reciprocal feelings between parent and infant and develops gradually over the first year.

Stranger anxiety develops between 9 and 18 months of age, when infants normally become insecure about separation from the primary caregiver.

WEIGHT

• Weight loss in first few days: 5-10% of birth weight
• Return to birth weight: 7-10 days of age
• Double birth weight: 4-5 months
• Triple birth weight: 1 year
• Daily weight gain: 20-30 g for first 3-4 months 15-20 g for rest of the first year

HEIGHT

• Average length: 20 in. at birth, 30 in. at 1 year
• At age 4 years, the average child is double birth length or 40 in.

HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE (HC)

• Average HC: 35 cm at birth (13.5 in.)
• HC increases: 1 cm per month for first year (2 cm per month for first 3 months, then slower)

SOCIAL AND ADAPTIVE MILESTONES

• 2 month Social smile (smile after being talked to)
• 3 month Recognizes mother; anticipates feeds
• 6 month Recognizes strangers, stranger anxiety
• 9 month Waves “bye bye”
• 12 month Comes when called; plays simple ball game
• 15 month Jargon
• 18 month  Copies parents in task (e.g. sweeping)
• 2 yrs Asks for food, drink, toilet; pulls people to show toys
• 3 yrs Shares toys; knows full name and gender
•  4 yrs Plays cooperatively in a group; goes to toilet alone
• 5 yrs Helps in household tasks, dresses and undresses

GROSS MOTOR DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES AGE

• 3 month Neck holding
• 5 month Rolls over
• 6 month Sits in tripod fashion (sitting with own support)
• 8 month Sitting without support
• 9 month Stands holding on (with support)
• 12 month Creeps well; walks but falls; stands without support
• 15 month Walks alone; creeps upstairs
• 18 month Runs; explores drawers
• 2 yrs Walks up and downstairs (2 feet/step); jumps
• 3 yrs Rides tricycle; alternate feet going upstairs
• 4 yrs Hops on one foot; alternate feet going downstairs

FINE MOTOR DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES AGE

• 4 month Bidextrous reach (reaching out for objects with both hands)
• 6 month Unidextrous reach (reaching out for objects with one hand) ; transfers objects
• 9 month Immature pincer grasp; probes with forefinger
• 12 month Pincer grasp mature
• 15 month Imitates scribbling; tower of 2 blocks
• 18 month Scribbles; tower of 3 blocks
•  2 yrs Tower of 6 blocks; vertical and circular stroke
• 3 yrs Tower of 9 blocks; copies circle
• 4 yrs Copies cross; bridge with blocks
• 5 yrs Copies triangle; gate with blocks

LANGUAGE MILESTONES

• 1 month Alerts to sound
• 3 month Coos (musical vowel sounds)
• 4 month Laugh loud
• 6 month Monosyllables (ba, da, pa), ah-goo sounds
• 9 month Bi syllables (mama, baba, dada)
• 12 month  1-2 words with meaning
• 18 month 8-10 word vocabulary
• 2 yrs 2-3 word sentences, uses pronouns” I”, “me”, “you”
• 3 yrs Asks questions; knows full name and gender
• 4 yrs Says song or poem; tells stories
• 5 yrs Asks meaning of words